Switchboard for use in telegraph and telephone offices.



PATENTED. JULY 30, 1907.

W. H. GABEL. SWIIGHBDARD FOR USE IN TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE OFFICES.

APPLICATION FILED OOT. 26.1903;

WILBUR HENRY GABEL, OF HAZEL, SOUTH DAKOTA.

SWITCHBOARD FOR USE IN TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE OFFICES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1907.

Application filed October 26,1903. Serial No. 178,656.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILBUR HENRY GABEL, a citizen or the United States, residing at Hazel, in the county of Hamlin and State of South Dakota, have invented a certain new and useful Electrical Switchboard, of which the following is a specification.

My invention refers to switchboards i'or use in telegraph and telephone ofiices where a multiplicity of line wires are assembled and has for its object to provide means by which but a single sounder or receiving instrument will be required for a group of wires.

My invention is especially useful in smaller telegraph ol'lices where a single operator attends to the business l'rom a number of line wires. Heretofore it has been necessary to have a separate sounder in circuit with each line wire. This has not only been expensive because of the number of instruments required and the batteries for operating them, but has been objectionable because of the confusion arising from several sounders operating at one time. By my invention the sounder may be connected with any wire to the exclusion of all the others as the operator elects.

The construction and advantages of my invention will fully appear hereinafter and by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a switchboard arranged in accordance with my invention and showing a diagrammatic arrangement of relays, sounder, battery and connections and main line wires connected thereto, and Fig. 2, a bottom view thereof.

In the drawings similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

A represents any suitable board or rest for my device.

B, C, D and E represent binding posts connected by jm0ans of wires 1), c, d and a with contact buttons F, G,

II and I respectively.

J represents a post on which is mounted switch-arm K adapted to close the circuit between any one oi posts B, O, D and E and post J. L represents another post connected by means of wire Zwith posts B ,G D and E.

M, M, M and M indicate relays having main line wires N connected therewith. Relay M is connected by means of wires m with binding posts B and B, relay M with binding posts C and G by means of wire m, relay M with posts D and D by means of wires m, and relay M with posts E and E by means of wires m.

0 indicates a sounder, P a battery, Q a wire connecting post J with the battery, R a wire connecting the battery and sounder, and S a wire connecting post L and battery I.

In telegraph oflices as at present arranged it is necessary to have a battery and sounder for each main line wire running into them. In my invention the expense 01' a multiplicity of sounder-s and batteries is avoided by connecting the local circuits m, m, m and m respectively with the binding posts B and B, C and C, D and D and E and E respectively on the switchboard and having a sounder and battery connected with other binding posts J and L on the switchboard so that any one of said local circuits may be connected with the sounder by adjusting switch-arm K so as to engage the button F, G, H or I in circuit with the relay over which the message will be received. Should, for instance, the armature of the relay M connected with the posts B and B be agitated the operator would swing the arm K until it rested on contact button F which would close the local circuit connected with relay M which would pass through wire m, post B, wire b, button F, arm K, post J, wire Q, battery P, and wire R to the sounder O and back through wire S, post L, wire Z, post B, and wire m to the relay M.

I have illustrated and described a switchboard connected with four main lines but it will be readily understood that the number of connections may be multiplied by adding more binding posts, contact buttons and connecting wires and I do not therefore wish to be confined to the number shown and described.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

An electrical switch board comprising a base, two binding posts secured to said base and connected with a suitable sounder, a switch arm secured to one of said binding posts, a series of contact buttons arranged around said post, a series of binding posts severally connected with said contact buttons, another series of binding posts collectively connected with the other binding post in circuit with the sounder, said two series of binding posts being connected in pairs with relays in circuit with main line wires. substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILBUR HENRY GABEL.

Witnesses Emu Anaus, Amnnr'r Foncn'r. 

